This patent application incorporates by reference the disclosure of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,099,636 and 6,282,877, both issued in the name of Joseph Yoder and assigned to Pik-Rite, Inc., the assignee of this patent application.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus and methods for harvesting fruits and vegetables, with special emphasis on harvesting vegetables such as peppers and especially chili peppers grown on vinous plants.
2. Background of the Invention
The benefits of known mechanical harvesting machines are diminished by problems encountered when such machines harvest vinous crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. With such crops which grow close to or on the ground, vines, rocks and dirt often clog the chains of conventional chain-type conveyors used in such machines. Accordingly, the machine must be periodically shut-down and be cleared of vines, rocks and other debris.
Another problem associated with the known mechanical harvesters is the large amount of unharvested fruit that sometimes remains in the field when the machine is used to harvest vinous crops. Typically, a substantial percentage of the fruits are inadequately separated from the vines. As a result, a sizable portion of the otherwise useable crop yield is discarded in the field along with the vines.
Loss of unharvested fruit, especially dried fruits such as chili peppers, sometimes occurs when early maturing fruit falls to the ground. Such fallen fruit, now detached from the vine, is not collected by known vinous fruit mechanical harvesters.
Further, some known vine-growing fruit mechanical harvesters remove the entire vine mass, including roots, and later separate the fruit from the vine mass. Such harvesters are often damaged by dirt and rocks which remain entrained in the vine mass when the vine mass is cut from the roots. These machines which collect and process the entire vine mass in order to harvest the growing ripe fruits are prone to break down, requiring frequent repair in the growing fields and disrupting the harvesting process.
In one of its aspects, this invention provides harvesting apparatus for detaching and collecting fruits from vinous plants during travel through a growing field, where the apparatus preferably includes a preferably longitudinally elongated frame adapted to be pulled by a tractor. In this aspect of the invention, the apparatus preferably includes at least one pair of mutually facing movable arrays of preferably resilient finger members. The mutually facing arrays preferably are considered to each have mutually perpendicular horizontal and vertical axes, with the horizontal axes of the two arrays being substantially parallel to the ground and with the vertical axes of each array being substantially parallel with each other. Preferably, the arrays rotate about their respective horizontal axes, with one array rotating in the clockwise direction and the second array rotating in the counterclockwise direction. When viewed from above, the mutually facing arrays preferably form a xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d-shape where plants enter the space between the arrays at the wide end of the xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d. Upwardly traveling resilient finger members of the two arrays comb the vines along the longitudinal length of the arrays and along the vertical height of the arrays to pick the fruit from the vines.
The upwardly traveling preferably resilient finger members preferably move along paths defining continuous loops on the two arrays. The upwardly traveling preferably resilient finger members traverse the path on a given array beginning at the base of the vines, proximate to the ground, with the path continuing upward along the vines so that the fingers move through the vines until the path reaches the top of the array where the finger members continue around the top of the path of the array and then downward until the finger members reach the base of the array, where the path is repeated. As the finger members move through the vines, the fruit separates from the vines and is transported by the finger members to the top of the array. Before the finger members begin their descent along a backside of the array, the fruit falls from the array, optionally under the influence of a pneumatic conveyor or fan, into a collection device.
In another of its aspects, the invention provides means for collecting fruit which has fallen to the ground using the aforementioned arrays of upwardly traveling, resilient finger members. The mutually facing arrays are positioned preferably substantially vertically such that the traveling finger members are proximal to and move along the surface of the soil when the upwardly traveling finger members are at their lowest point on the array, corresponding to the aforementioned beginning of the path. By being proximal to and moving along the soil, the finger members sweep up and collect fallen fruit from the ground.
The apparatus further preferably includes means for adjusting the apparatus with respect to ground.
In still another of its aspects, this invention embraces a method of harvesting including the steps of advancing a harvesting a device through a growing field, scoopingly urging plants towards an opening between mutually facing arrays of finger members, advanceably positioning the mutually facing moveable arrays of finger members on opposite sides of plants containing fruits to be harvested, rotating the mutually facing arrays of finger members whereby one array rotates in a clockwise direction and the other in a counter-clockwise direction so that both arrays move upwardly in a region in which the arrays are mutually facing and are above the position of the plants growing in the growing field from which fruits are to be harvested thereby upwardly sweeping the plants with the finger members to strippingly remove fruits from the plants. The method further preferably includes transversely sweeping the growing ground during travel of the apparatus thereover to brushingly gather detached fallen fruits off of the ground and into the region within which the arrays face one another so the fruits may be carried to a collection container.
In yet another of its aspects this invention embraces harvesting apparatus including a frame, wheels connected to the frame enabling travel of the apparatus through a growing field of fruits and moveable arrays of finger members carried by the frame for contacting and strippingly lifting fruits from plants in the growing fields, where the array preferably is generally upstanding, longitudinally elongated and has at least a portion which is preferably substantially planar.
In yet another of its aspects this invention embraces harvesting apparatus including a frame, wheels connected to the frame enabling travel of the apparatus through a growing field of fruits and at least one pair of preferably mutually facing moveable preferably endless webs supporting fruit stripping means protruding from the web surfaces, the webs being carried by the frame for strippingly lifting fruits from plants in the growing fields as the webs move along the field with the plants entering between upwardly facing portions of the webs, with the webs preferably being generally upstanding, longitudinally elongated and substantially planar in the region in which the webs are mutually facing.
Desirably, the finger members associated with the webs are formed integrally with the webs and are resilient. Most desirably, the finger members formed integrally with the webs are elastomeric and are homogeneous. The finger members preferably project substantially transversely from the webs which are preferably sheet-like and preferably planar. Most desirably, the webs are of integral, one piece molded construction so that the finger members and the sheet-like portion of the web are homogeneous.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the finger members may be rigid in part or in whole. In still another embodiment of the invention, only some of the finger members may be rigid and those members may be only partially rigid.
In another aspect of the invention, the finger members of the two arrays may interdigitate at least in the portion of the region in which the arrays are mutually facing. Desirably, the arrays are more proximate one another remote from the position of entry of the fruit-bearing plants into between the arrays than at the entry position of the fruit-bearing plants into between the arrays.
In another aspect of the invention, the facing portions of the arrays are desirably more proximate one another remote from the growing field than at ground level.
The invention further embraces means for adjusting distance of separation between mutually facing portions of the arrays which further includes means for separately adjusting distance of separation between the respective arrays at forward and rear portions thereof.
The apparatus yet further embraces means for adjustably positioning a selected portion of at least one of the arrays to transversely sweep the growing ground during passage of the apparatus over the ground thereby to brushingly gather detached fallen fruits off of the ground and into the region within which the arrays face one another so that the fallen fruits may be retrieved and processed. Similarly, the method aspect of the invention further embraces the step of transversely sweeping the growing ground to brushingly gather detached fallen fruits off of the ground and into the region in which the arrays face one another so that the fruits may be processed.
In yet another optional aspect of the invention, a high velocity blower gently aids in removal of the fruit from within the upper portion of space between the mutually facing arrays and further directs the fruit onto a conveyor system. This aspect of the invention minimizes bruising, tearing or other damage to the fruit by minimizing force with which the fruit is removed from the plant and by minimizing interactive contact of the harvested fruits with other fruit and parts of the conveyor system.
In yet another aspect the high velocity blower facilitates removal of fruit from within the arrays with the direction of the air flow created by the blower being adjustable.
Another aspect of the invention embodies an array comprising a preferably adjustable portion substantially horizontal with the soil thus forming a wide base array portion. The wide base portion efficiently sweeps a broad region of soil, collecting fallen or discarded fruit lying on the surface of the soil.
Another aspect of the invention embraces guiding and lifting plants into the region between the mutually facing arrays wherein the distance between mutually facing arrays is horizontally adjustable, vertically adjustable or both, to accommodate varying plant sizes and hydration levels as well as varying row widths.